The flying machine featured here is called an ornithopter, and its conceptual origins date back at least as far as the late 15th century, when Leonardo Da Vinci first produced drawings of a bird-like machine capable of flight.

Da Vinci would never see his designs realized in the form of a working apparatus, but in the last 500 years, ornithopters have become an object of interest to engineers, aviators, and hobbyists alike; and based on videos like this one, it's easy to see why.

As an added bonus, check out this jaw-dropping video of a human-powered ornithopter, designed by a team at the University of Toronto, with a wingspan of over 100 feet. Absolutely incredible.